canterbury travel: ABCDE Of Leadership - wise self improvement

In our continuous search for true and effective leadership, and what components, skills, traits, and actions are necessary, we often over - emphasize some aspects and under - emphasize others. While there are no simple shortcuts on the path of becoming a great and significant leader, if someone commits to the "ABCDE" of leadership, he puts himself in the best possible position to being effective and a true leader. These five steps are:

1. Arrange; 2. Believe; 3. Create; 4. Deliver; and 5. Elevate. This method puts one in the best possible position, mentally, emotionally and physically, to develop strong leadership traits and skills.

1. Arranging one's mindset and agenda in an organized, well planned, thoughtful and caring way, is an essential component in the quest to be a true leader. Unless a leader knows and understands what he wants to accomplish and where he needs to go, how can he possibly become a real leader? Great leaders understand that leadership is a step - by - step process, and needs an agenda and a plan.

2. Great leaders must both believe in what their organization stands for, as well as believing in themselves. This develops an attitude needed for success, because only with this type of true belief, is someone able to maintain the consistency and direction that is needed for effective and sustainable leadership.

3. How creative is your leader? True leaders can never afford to be set in their ways, or inflexible to different ideas or approaches. Creativity means looking at achieving relevant and essential goals that enhance an organization's relevance and make it more sustainable. A creative leader can often revitalize bored members and supporters, by using what might be perceived as a fresh approach, and therefore followers develop a more optimistic view of the effectiveness and significance of the group. Beware the individual in leadership who stops looking for fresh ideas or approaches, and will only do what others have done before!

4. All the rhetoric, ideas and intent in the world, have little meaning unless a leader delivers on his promises. Organizations have fallen into challenging times because followers stop believing those in leadership who talk the talk, but continuously fail to walk the walk. Effectiveness requires decisive, directed and timely action.

5. It is the responsibility of a leader to elevate the discussion to a higher quality. There is no room in true leadership for blame, pettiness, or the emphasis on the status quo.

Will you commit to the "ABCDE" for effective and meaningful leadership? While not the whole story, this concept is an essential basis.

Source: http://wiseselfimprovement.blogspot.com/2013/01/abcde-of-leadership.html

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Source: http://canterbury-travel.blogspot.com/2013/01/abcde-of-leadership-wise-self.html

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Deadly tornadoes batter central, southeast U.S.

In this image made from video and released by WSB TV in Atlanta, a tornado moves through the town of Adairsville, Ga. on Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013. A fire chief says a storm that roared across northwest Georgia has left overturned vehicles on Interstate 75 northwest of Atlanta, and crews are responding to reports of people trapped in storm-damaged residential and commercial buildings. (AP Photo/WSB TV) MANDATORY CREDIT

In this image made from video and released by WSB TV in Atlanta, a tornado moves through the town of Adairsville, Ga. on Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013. A fire chief says a storm that roared across northwest Georgia has left overturned vehicles on Interstate 75 northwest of Atlanta, and crews are responding to reports of people trapped in storm-damaged residential and commercial buildings. (AP Photo/WSB TV) MANDATORY CREDIT

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/photos/deadly-storms-batter-south-slideshow/

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Colorado Catholic Adoption Agencies Say They Won't Serve Gay ...

As in many other cities and states that have approved marriage equality, Colorado's (where civil unions may soon be a reality) Catholic Charities are objecting to having to serve gay couples.

"Our desire is to provide them with a safe and stable environment."

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

9 News reports:

"The Catholic church understands the best foundation for a child's life is to be in the home of a father and a mother that is going to raise them in a family environment that is a strong, healthy marriage," said Monsignor Tom Fryar, who serves as pastor for the Denver Cathedral.

By dictionary definition, the church does discriminate when it comes to adoptions-- not just against gays but also against single people.

They only let married couples adopt. Even if the laws change, the church won't.

"We cannot," Fryar said. "It goes against our faith."

Source: http://www.towleroad.com/2013/01/coloradocatholic.html

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Apple announces iPad with double storage capacity

(Reuters) - Apple Inc said on Tuesday that it will sell a version of its iPad tablet computer with 128 gigabytes of storage, which is twice the capacity of its existing models.

Apple, which has sold more than 120 million iPads so far, said that the new iPad will go on sale February 5, in black or white, for a suggested retail price of $799 for the iPad with just Wi-Fi model, and $929 for the version that also has a cellular wireless connection.

(Reporting By Sinead Carew; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apple-announces-ipad-double-storage-capacity-150439073--finance.html

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Healthy Church Challenge Tackles Obesity Epidemic

VOL. 128 | NO. 20 | Wednesday, January 30, 2013

By MICHAEL WADDELL

Updated 2:20PM

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee?s second annual Healthy Church Challenge 100-day weight loss competition for churches in West Tennessee is set to get under way on Saturday, Feb. 2.

This year?s challenge is anticipated to include more than 50 local churches that will get the chance to compete for cash prizes to benefit their churches and health ministries.

?The idea for the Healthy Church Challenge came about from our foundation and company goal of impacting the health of the population in Tennessee,? said Calvin Anderson, senior vice president and chief of staff at BlueCross. ?Obesity is a lead driver of diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.?

This year?s grand prize will be a $5,000 certificate for fitness equipment and nutritional counseling, and there also will be an individual prize awarded to the person who loses the most weight overall. Last year, 458 men, women and children lost a total of 2,821 pounds. Fullview Missionary Baptist Church in Bartlett won first place, which included a $5,000 gift certificate to the Sports Authority and nutritional counseling from Baptist Memorial Health Care.

The 2013 Healthy Church Challenge is part of a city- and state-wide effort for citizens to reduce weight and live healthier. Memphis and Shelby County rank in the bottom 10 percent of some studies as it relates to health, healthy eating, exercise, healthy living, life-altering disease management and prevention. The 100-day Healthy Church Challenge is designed to address the problems through area faith-based organizations and create a healthier place to live, work and play in Memphis, Shelby County and West Tennessee.

?Memphis is the focus city in the state for 2012 and 2013; however, we are looking to expand to additional cities after we analyze the findings and results of this initiative,? Anderson said.

Tennessee also ranks sixth in the nation for childhood obesity and receives an ?F? on the national ?Report Card: State Efforts to Control Childhood Obesity.? Roughly one-third of all school children in the Mid-South are overweight or obese, and as many as two-thirds of adult Tennesseans are considered obese or overweight.

Earlier this month the Tennessee Commissioner of Health Dr. John Dreyzehner and his health policy team visited Memphis and talked to a group at the University of Memphis about the overall lack of physical activity in the state and how sedentary lifestyles can negatively impact health.

?If you look at the rankings, it is the area that we are currently as a state, relative to other states, doing the worst. We are ranked 48th,? Dreyzehner said.

Anderson expects the 2013 Healthy Church Challenge to grow this year, with participation expected from an estimated 50 churches following 36 last year. The event is open to all churches in West Tennessee and limited to 100 participants per church.

A mandatory weigh-in will take place at the Family Life Center at 70 N. Bellevue Blvd. starting at 10 a.m. and will run until 4 p.m. Alternate weigh-ins will take place Feb. 4 through Feb. 8, and then there will be a variety of ongoing activities including regular workout sessions and weigh-ins until late May. The challenge will culminate with an Obesity Summit and awards presentation on June 1. The full schedule, as well as daily tips for healthier living, can be found on the Healthy Church Challenge Facebook page.

At Saturday?s opening event, a workout session will be led by Yusuf Boyd, founder of Memphis-based BIOMechaniks, a boutique health/wellness studio, athletic performance, and injury prevention/rehabilitation service in Germantown. A nutritionist from The Regional Medical Center at Memphis also will teach participants the basics for healthy eating.

There will also be giveaways and vendors to disseminate health care information and products.

Entertainment is scheduled to include national gospel recording artist Darrel Petties, pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Memphis.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/memphisdailynews/bbde/~3/SMyZwNdmzoQ/

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Property taxes to rise across Philadelphia suburbs

The countywide dollar increases are modest - on average, about $33 per household in county taxes in Chester, and $20 in Delaware. However, some municipal increases will add more than $100 to annual bills.

And the towns raising their millages on top of the county increases include places in Delaware County where tax rates already are among the highest in the region - and the nation.

"Upper Darby is off the charts," said Ed Silbertstein, who owns a home there that the county estimates is worth $285,000. His annual tax bill is now $11,542; the majority of that goes to the schools, and some to the county, but the township?s 7 percent increase adds $237.

Mayor Thomas Micozzie said in his budget message that 95 percent of the increase is going to police and fire services, including $4.7 million in pension contributions.

Taxes in Marcus Hook are going up 13 percent, or about $100 per household. Statewide, about 35 percent of the boroughs have raised 2013 real estate levies, estimated Edward Knittel, senior director of education for the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs.

Aside from the larger causes, the reasons can be as idiosyncratic as the towns themselves.

Take Riegelsville, in the northeast corner of Bucks County, where only 868 folks were counted in the 2010 census. It was spared any county tax increase, but the borough upped its rate 4.3 percent, from 11.75 mills to 12.25.

The 415 property owners in town, who pay $263 on average, will see about $10 to $15 added to their bills.

Primarily, that's to pay for the sudden loss of $200,000 to $300,000 that had been donated by a longtime benefactor to the ambulance service, Borough Council President Thomas A. Stinnett said.

But that's not the only reason. Some of the increase is targeted for repairs on the historically certified town hall.

Source: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/suburban_pa/20130128_Property_taxes_to_rise_across_Philadelphia_suburbs.html

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Zynga's shares rise 14 percent ahead of earnings report next week

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Zynga Inc's stock rose 14 percent on Monday as investors grew more confident that the social games developer behind "FarmVille" and "Mafia Wars" will deliver a solid set of quarterly results next week.

Its shares ended trading at $2.84, up 35 cents

Zynga reports quarterly results next Monday. In October, it raised the lower end of its 2012 earnings forecast and also announced a $200 million share buyback plan and a new partnership with British company bwin.party to offer online real-money gambling.

Last month, it put in a preliminary application to run real-money gambling games in Nevada.

Analysts said there was no news that caused the spike

Arvind Bhatia, an analyst at Sterne Agee, said, "Outside of Apple, it feels a little bit like we're in a little bit of bull market in tech. A lot tech memes are up even without any news. This one was perhaps underowned and maybe that's why people are saying in 2013 that's one they want to own.

"Volume is three times the normal volume and stock is up 13 percent and that's clearly telling you somebody's buying."

"They scheduled an earnings call for next Tuesday and haven't preannounced, so perhaps investors are feeling good about the quarter," said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter.

The "FarmVille" creator has struggled to hold on to users for once-popular titles it publishes on Facebook, and is shifting focus to capture growth in mobile games.

Zynga is hoping that a lucrative real-money market could make up for declining revenue from games like "FarmVille" and other fading titles that still generate the bulk of its sales.

Last year, the games publisher carried out 11 of the planned shutdowns of 13 underperforming game titles, including simulation games like "Petville" and "FishVille."

As part of an on-going cost-cutting plan, Zynga laid off 5 percent of its full-time workforce and shut its Boston office last year and said it might consider closing its Japanese and British game studios.

"A lot of it is going to depend on Zynga's cost-cutting and there's are still a lot of issues as they don't have the advantages from their previous relationship with Facebook," said Sterne Agee analyst Bhatia.

(Reporting By Malathi Nayak; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/zyngas-shares-rise-14-percent-ahead-earnings-report-211344203--finance.html

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The 128GB Microsoft Surface Pro Only Offers 83GB of Usable Space

The standard Windows 8 Surface tablets came in for some stick, thanks to the Windows files eating up 13GB of hard drive space. That's nothing compared to Windows 8 Pro, which requires an astonishing 45GB of the Surface Pro's disk space for its files. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/LpGLZvLDJ5Q/the-128gb-microsoft-surface-pro-only-offers-83gb-of-usable-space

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ARGUS drone spots you from 20,000 feet ? with camera-phone sensors

1 day

Devin Coldewey , NBC News

Paranoid delusions about black helicopters hovering over an area will soon be out of date: The latest scary spy apparatus lives 20,000 feet up, turning 30 or more square miles into live video sharp?enough to spot individual people walking around.

The system is called ARGUS, after the 100-eyed god of Greek myth, and fittingly, it works by hooking together hundreds of inexpensive image sensors like those found in mobile phones.?The non-classified parts were featured last week in an episode of the PBS show "Nova"?all about drones and surveillance (the ARGUS segment starts at the half-hour mark).

ARGUS has appeared in earlier reports, but in a much less detailed fashion. The "Nova"?program shows how it might actually appear in action.

Yiannis Antoniades of BAE Systems, the British company that makes the ARGUS system (with help and funding from DARPA), told PBS that although BAE?would have liked to design a whole new sensor, it was cheaper and more practical to use an array of smaller, off-the-shelf ones.

The current version uses 368 five-megapixel sensors, for a total of 1.8 gigapixels. But unlike other gigapixel camera systems, this one doesn't record still images ? it produces video. That means that from four miles up, it can watch a?roughly circular area up to six miles wide, tracking every car and person in real time.

The amount of data produced by the system is, naturally, immense, around 6?petabytes per day according to earlier reports.

ARGUS has yet to be deployed, although there were plans to send three to Afghanistan onboard a helicopter-like hovering unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)?called the Hummingbird, now defunct. The future of the system?is, for now, classified.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBCNews Digital. His personal website is?coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/argus-drone-spots-you-20-000-feet-camera-phone-sensors-1C8149730

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Microsoft Office 2013, Office 365 Home Premium available now; 365 for business coming later

Until now, we've known almost all there is to know about Microsoft Office 2013 and Office 365: we got hands-on with the new features last summer, and the company has even confirmed pricing. The only thing we weren't sure of was the exact on-sale date, but even that got leaked when a Canadian retailer put up a pre-order page indicating the two products would ship January 29th. Well, what do you know? Today is January 29th and sure enough, Office 2013 is on sale, along with the subscription service Office 365. To be clear, while every version of the boxed software is now out, 365 is only being offered to consumers; the business version will arrive later, on February 27th.

For now, Office 365 Home Premium is priced at $99.99 for an annual subscription, with licenses to install the suite on up to five PCs and Macs at once. There's also a "University" version for college students and faculty, which costs $79.99 for a four-year plan. Either way, the sub includes 20GB of SkyDrive storage, which is to say if you previously only had 7GB of space, your limit will now get bumped to 20 gigs. (In other words, people grandfathered into 25GB don't get an additional 20 gigabytes.) Of course, you can always deactivate a particular machine through Office.com if you need to free up a license. Naturally, too, as a part of the subscription you'll always have the most recent version. That means Office 2013 for Windows users; Office for Mac 2011 if you're on OS X. That last piece is a bit of a bummer, for sure, but for what it's worth Microsoft has said a new Mac product is in the works, and that subscribers will get it as part of a future software update.

If you'd rather buy the software outright, you can do that today too. At the low end, there's Office 2013 Home and Student 2013 ($139), which comes with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. Home and Business adds Outlook for $219, while the top-of-the-line Professional package includes all of the above along with Access and Publisher for $399. Remember, though: these come with only one user license, and you don't get any complimentary cloud storage or upgrades to future versions. It's your money, obviously, but it seems clear to us that Microsoft has gone out of its way to make its Office 365 service the more attractive option. So, you might want to think long and hard about how much owning your software really means to you before going the old-fashioned route.

Show full PR text

Microsoft Releases Office 365 Home Premium
Jan. 29, 2013
New consumer cloud service works across devices to help busy people simplify their lives and get more done.

NEW YORK - Jan. 29, 2013 - Microsoft Corp. today announced worldwide availability of Office 365 Home Premium, a reinvention of the company's flagship Office product line for consumers. Office 365 Home Premium is a cloud service designed for busy households and people juggling ever-increasing work and family responsibilities. The new offering includes the latest and most complete set of Office applications; works across up to five devices, including Windows tablets, PCs and Macs; and comes with extra SkyDrive storage and Skype calling - all for US$99.99 for an annual subscription, the equivalent of US$8.34 per month.

"Today's launch of Office 365 Home Premium marks the next big step in Microsoft's transformation to a devices and services business," said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. "This is so much more than just another release of Office. This is Office reinvented as a consumer cloud service with all the full-featured Office applications people know and love, together with impressive new cloud and social benefits."

Microsoft also announced it will now deliver many new features and services to the cloud first, transforming the company's traditional three-year release cycle. Now, new features and services stream to subscribers as soon as they are ready, keeping subscribers always up to date while eliminating the hassles of upgrading.

"This is a major leap forward," said Kurt DelBene, president of the Microsoft Office Division. "People's needs change rapidly, and Office 365 Home Premium will change with them."

Simultaneously, Microsoft today released Office 365 University for college or university students, faculty and staff at a price of just US$79.99 for a four-year subscription - the equivalent of US$1.67 per month. Globally, the company also released updated versions of the traditional Office suite: Office Home and Student 2013, Office Home and Business 2013 and Office Professional 2013. Office 365 for businesses will be released globally with new capabilities on Feb. 27.

Time to Do the Things You Want

In a recent global survey,* nearly 60 percent of people said they don't have the time to do the things they want to do, and more than 80 percent said they could save one or more hours a day if they were better organized. Office 365 Home Premium is designed to help people be more productive from virtually anywhere and find the flexibility to do the things they want.

"Between kids and career, I'm never completely at home or completely at work - and thanks to technology, that suits me just fine," said Jen Singer, an author, blogger and mom of two teen boys. "With Office 365 Home Premium, I can work around my kids' schedules, so I can drive the soccer carpool, coordinate errands while at a doctor's office and still hit my deadlines at work. And, with one subscription for everyone in my family, it's an absolute steal."

To help people find more time to do the things they want, Microsoft is introducing Time to 365 (http://www.office.com/timeto365), a new crowd-sourced website where people can find and share tips, tricks, ideas and inspiration from around the world. Contributors include experts such as "techorating" pro Janna Robinson (http://www.jannarobinson.com) and everyday working parents who have found ways to simplify their lives. Tips on the site include, for example, an idea for organizing your grocery list with OneNote on your phone, a pointer on how to pick the right-sized TV for your living room, and ways to use Office applications to help plan a child's birthday party.

About Office 365 Home Premium

Office 365 Home Premium is available in 162 markets in 21 languages and includes the following:

o. The latest and most complete set of Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access

o. One license for the entire household to use Office on up to five devices, including Windows tablets, PCs or Macs, and Office on Demand available from any Internet-connected PC**

o. An additional 20 GB of SkyDrive cloud storage, nearly three times the amount available with a free SkyDrive account

o. 60 free Skype world calling minutes per month to call mobile phones, landlines or PCs around the world***

o. Future upgrades, so you always use the latest time-saving technology

People can learn more about Office 365 Home Premium or try it free for 30 days at http://www.office.com.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* Microsoft surveyed more than 10,000 people in over 20 countries.

** App availability varies by operating system, device and language.

*** Skype world minutes not available in all countries. Calls to select countries.

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

Comments

Source: Microsoft

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/29/microsoft-office-2013-office-365-home-premium-available-now/

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For Friendship (closed)

OOC: Hey all,

This is a closed roleplay for myself and Modesty but you're welcome to poke around!

"Calm down, Darina. You are making yourself ill," Evin told the teenage girl hyperventilating as she sat at the edge of the bed while Evin fastened her forest green cloak around her own throat, "Treat this as a normal evening, just like any oth-"
"But it's not! What if something happens to you? What will I do?" All at once, the girl burst into tears, burying her face in her hands. Evin took a deep breath, her patience tested. She loved Darina like a sister, but often her dramatics were exhausting. Evin did not remember being so emotional when she was fourteen. Evin sat down next to the younger girl and put her arm around her. At once Darina's dark curls were in Evin's face as she buried her tears into Evin's shoulder. This was easier when Darina was younger, when she did not understand the situation so fully and when it was easier to hide the rebel's missions from her.

Evin had been taken in by the rebels eighteen years ago. She had been eight years old when her home, a village called Traydon, was destroyed by King Hadrain in an attempt to destroy any magic that he could not control. The village had been filled with some of the last magic-wielders. She was found by some rebels wandering in the forest, a child starving to death. They took her in, unaware of the advantage they would gain by doing so. They did not learn until several years later Evin was an ice mage. Once her talent was discovered, her life changed drastically. Instead of living with the rebel-supporting family that kept orphans, she was taken to what could be considered the headquarters of the rebellion, the disused mines of the Fabia Mountains. Once there, Evin trained with the other young mages the rebels had found in magic, fighting, and stealth until they were deemed "ready," but mostly because their presence was requested for missions. Those who trained the group of seven child mages all excelled in their areas of teaching, but their students did not always become as talented as the masters. Evin herself was a decent ice mage, but was told that in the past when there were many mages she only would have been considered a moderate talent. She knew this to be true as most of the other mages in her group were more talented than she. Evin favored daggers as her weapon of choice because she was quick. Not to mention, she could hide many of them on her person at once. The weight of swords tired her too quickly to make them useful to her. Evin's shot with an arrow was not dreadful, but they had never been her preference. As for stealth, none of the young mages were able to be up to par with the assassin that trained them and eventually decided that the basics would have to do.

Evin had not seen the other mages since they had left the mines, but she did know one of them was dead and another was supposedly a prisoner in King Hadrain's cells. The mages had all been kept separate after their training to make it difficult for King Hadrain to find them all at once. For the next five years, Evin traveled on various missions with a small group of rebels constantly. She was the only mage in the group, living a life of constantly moving from place to place to complete missions. It was on one of those missions that she found Darina much like the rebels had found her as an orphan. One of Darina's older siblings had magic and Hadrain's soldiers were in the process of slaughtering the whole family when Evin and her team burst in with enough time to save Darina, but not her parents or other siblings. She and Evin formed an attachment soon after. Evin refused to send her to the orphanage. She told the rebels that she would take care of the little girl and forced them to give her a new life where she no longer traveled so much. They pressured her to do otherwise, but Evin was firm. She had always done what the rebels told her to do. It was time to do something for herself. That was how the two ended up posing as the nieces of the secretly rebel-supporting innkeepers of The Wayward Traveler. It was fortunate that Evin and Darina looked similar enough to pass as sisters, both with dark hair, though Darina's was riddled with curls and Evin's was straight. Their skin tone matched well enough too, but their eyes were very different. Evin's eyes matched most, dark brown as they were. Darina's eyes, on the other hand, were an icy blue. Evin had always found that ironic, since she was the ice mage of the two.

"Darina," Evin put her hands on the younger girl's shoulder, pushing so Darina's head off of her shoulder would have to face her, "you know I love you. You also know that I have been doing this kind of work for a very long time. You cannot cry like this every time I do something that might be dangerous. You have to be stronger and if you cannot be stronger, you must pretend until you are." Evin kissed her on the forehead while Darina tried to hold back more tears.

Evin was careful to leave out the back door of the inn. No one needed to see The Wayward Traveler's barmaid wearing men's clothing as she disappeared into the forests surrounding the village of Doth. This was not the kind of evening where she worried much about being seen; chilly rain was pouring heavily from the skies combined with an unforgiving wind, making it possible to see only four arms-lengths ahead.

Before long, Evin arrived at the hollowed out tree that was their meeting spot. She was met with dissatisfied looks from the three people she set out to meet. "Darina held me back momentarily. I apologize," Evin told the group as she removed her soaked cloak.
"It's not that," the only other woman responded, "Our tail lost the soldiers in the storm. We have to cancel the mission."
"It's just like you to give up so easily, Juliana!" one of the men huffed, "This mission is perfect for Evin. She could use the water, freeze them! We need to find out what is in that letter! What if that is the key to beating Hadrain once and for all?" He was older, a burly beard covering his angry face.
"I am not sure I could do-" Evin put up her hands as if she could physically pause the conversation, but it continued on without her anyway.
"If we can't find them, we can't do anything!" The woman retorted. She was about the same age as the man she argued with. "It is pointless to risk us traveling out into this weather. They probably changed their course because of it!" Evin met eyes with the red-haired teenage boy that accompanied them and both of them sighed in unison. He was used to these arguments coming from his parents and so was Evin.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/p_gYAWSFces/viewtopic.php

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Demagnetization by rapid spin transport

Jan. 27, 2013 ? For purposes of their research, the scientists irradiated two separate layered systems with ultrashort laser pulses on the order of just one hundred femtoseconds (10-15 s). One sample consisted essentially of a single thin layer of ferromagnetic nickel. By contrast, a second sample of this same nickel material was coated with a non-magnetic layer of gold. Only a mere 30 nanometers (10-9 m) thick, the gold layer swallowed up the lion's share of the laser light so that barely any light ended up reaching the nickel layer. In spite of this, the nickel layer's magnetization rapidly dissipated shortly after the laser pulse entered each sample.

However, in the case of the gold-coated sample, the researchers recorded a split-second delay. The observations were based on measurements obtained using circularly polarized femtosecond x-ray pulses at BESSY II, Berlin's own electron storage ring, with the help of the femtoslicing beamline.

"This allowed us to demonstrate experimentally that during this process, it isn't the light itself that is responsible for the ultrafast demagnetization but rather hot electrons, which are generated by the laser pulse," explains Andrea Eschenlohr. Excited electrons are able to rapidly move across short distances -- like the ultra-thin gold layer. In the process, they also deliver their magnetic moment (their "spin") to the ferromagnetic nickel layer, prompting the breakdown of the latter's magnetic order. "Actually, what we had hoped to see is how we might be able to influence the spin using the laser pulse," explains Dr. Christian Stamm, who heads the experiment. "The fact that we ended up being able to directly observe how these spins migrate was a complete surprise to everyone."

Laser pulses are thus one possibility to generate "spin currents" where the spin is transferred in place of an electric charge. This observation is relevant for spintronics research where scientists design new devices from magnetic layered systems, which perform calculations based on spins rather than electrons, enabling them to very quickly process and store information while at the same time saving energy.

Dr. Eschenlohr concluded her doctoral work at HZB, in the context of which she generated the results described above, in late 2012. As of January of this year, Dr. Eschenlohr is a scientific associate at University of Duisburg-Essen.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. A. Eschenlohr, M. Battiato, P. Maldonado, N. Pontius, T. Kachel, K. Holldack, R. Mitzner, A. F?hlisch, P. M. Oppeneer, C. Stamm. Ultrafast spin transport as key to femtosecond demagnetization. Nature Materials, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nmat3546

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/yaAkGg3ST4E/130127134206.htm

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Senators reach deal on immigration overhaul

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A bipartisan group of leading senators has reached agreement on the principles of sweeping legislation to rewrite the nation's immigration laws.

The deal, which was to be announced at a news conference Monday afternoon, covers border security, guest workers and employer verification, as well as a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in this country.

Although thorny details remain to be negotiated and success is far from certain, the development heralds the start of what could be the most significant effort in years toward overhauling the nation's inefficient patchwork of immigration laws.

President Barack Obama also is committed to enacting comprehensive immigration legislation and will travel to Nevada on Tuesday to lay out his vision, which is expected to overlap in important ways with the Senate effort.

The eight senators expected to endorse the new principles Monday are Democrats Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Michael Bennet of Colorado; and Republicans John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida and Jeff Flake of Arizona.

Several of these lawmakers have worked for years on the issue. McCain collaborated with the late Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy on comprehensive immigration legislation pushed by then-President George W. Bush in 2007, only to see it collapse in the Senate when it couldn't get enough GOP support.

Now, with some Republicans chastened by the November elections which demonstrated the importance of Latino voters and their increasing commitment to Democrats, some in the GOP say this time will be different.

"What's changed, honestly, is that there is a new, I think, appreciation on both sides of the aisle ? including maybe more importantly on the Republican side of the aisle ? that we have to enact a comprehensive immigration reform bill," McCain said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

"I think the time is right," McCain said.

The group claims a notable newcomer in Rubio, a potential 2016 presidential candidate whose conservative bona fides may help smooth the way for support among conservatives wary of anything that smacks of amnesty. In an opinion piece published Sunday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Rubio wrote that the existing system amounts to "de facto amnesty," and he called for "commonsense reform."

According to documents obtained by The Associated Press, the senators will call for accomplishing four goals:

?Creating a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already here, contingent upon securing the border and better tracking of people here on visas.

?Reforming the legal immigration system, including awarding green cards to immigrants who obtain advanced degrees in science, math, technology or engineering from an American university.

?Creating an effective employment verification system to ensure that employers do not hire illegal immigrants.

?Allowing more low-skill workers into the country and allowing employers to hire immigrants if they can demonstrate they couldn't recruit a U.S. citizen; and establishing an agricultural worker program.

The principles being released Monday are outlined on just over four pages, leaving plenty of details left to fill in. What the senators do call for is similar to Obama's goals and some past efforts by Democrats and Republicans, since there's wide agreement in identifying problems with the current immigration system. The most difficult disagreement is likely to arise over how to accomplish the path to citizenship.

In order to satisfy the concerns of Rubio and other Republicans, the senators are calling for the completion of steps on border security and oversight of those here on visas before taking major steps forward on the path to citizenship.

Even then, those here illegally would have to qualify for a "probationary legal status" that would allow them to live and work here ? but not qualify for federal benefits ? before being able to apply for permanent residency. Once they are allowed to apply they would do so behind everyone else already in line for a green card within the current immigration system.

That could be a highly cumbersome process, but how to make it more workable is being left to future negotiations. The senators envision a more streamlined process toward citizenship for immigrants brought here as children by their parents, and for agricultural workers.

The debate will play out at the start of Obama's second term, as he aims to spend the political capital afforded him by his re-election victory on an issue that has eluded past presidents and stymied him during his first term despite his promises to the Latino community to act.

"As the president has made clear for some time, immigration reform is an important priority and he is pleased that progress is being made with bipartisan support," a White House spokesman, Clark Stevens, said in a statement. "At the same time, he will not be satisfied until there is meaningful reform and he will continue to urge Congress to act until that is achieved."

For Republicans, the November elections were a stark schooling on the importance of Latino voters, who voted for Obama over Republican Mitt Romney 71 percent to 27 percent, helping ensure Obama's victory. That led some Republican leaders to conclude that supporting immigration reform with a path to citizenship has become a political imperative.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/senators-reach-deal-immigration-changes-050551602.html

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Canon EF 180mm Macro f/3.5L USM

By Jim Fisher

The EF 180mm Macro f/3.5L USM ($1,579 list) is a telephoto prime lens for Canon cameras that features macro shooting capability. At its closest focusing distance it supports 1:1 magnification, which means that an object in the image frame will be projected onto the camera's sensor at its actual size. The lens can also be used as a standard telephoto optic?there's a switch on the side of the barrel that allows you to choose between the full focus range for autofocus or to only try and focus on objects that are close to the front element of the lens. One downside to using the lens as a handheld telephoto optic is the lack of image stabilization?something that the similar Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO Macro does include.

The lens is very long, but not overly wide?it measures 7.3 by 3.3 inches and is heavy at 2.4 pounds. A tripod collar, which wraps around the lens near its base, is included. It's a good idea to use it rather than your camera's tripod socket, as it evens out weight distribution to lessen the amount of stress placed upon the lens mount. Standard 72mm filters are supported, and the front element is stationery so using a polarizing filter is feasible. A lens hood and carrying case are included.

I used Imatest to check the sharpness of the lens when paired with the full-frame Canon EOS 6D. I also shot the lens with the APS-C Canon EOS Rebel T4i, whose smaller sensor gives the lens a field of view that is nearly 300mm, which came in handy at a baseball game. The lens puts up impressive sharpness figures?it notched 2,414 lines per picture height at f/3.5, well in excess of the 1,800 lines that mark a sharp photo. Performance increases a bit at f/8, where it hits 2,497 lines. Distortion is not a concern?there is only a negligible 0.2 percent shown in test results. The Sigma 150mm is not as sharp at f/2.8 at 1,843 lines, but it does hit 2,400 at f/4 and comes close to 3,000 lines at f/8.

Aside from the lack of image stabilization, which is not a concern when it comes to macro tripod work, there isn't much negative to say about the Canon EF 180mm Macro f/3.5L. It's expensive, but its price is not out of line for its class?the Sigma 150mm is priced at $1,600, although it often sells for much less, and Nikon's similar AF-S Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4D IF-ED costs nearly $1,800. If you can live with the slightly wider field, choosing the Sigma will add image stabilization without sacrificing magnification or sharpness at comparable apertures?but there's very little chance that you'll be disappointed by the images that this Canon macro lens can capture.

More Digital Camera Reviews:
??? Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM
??? Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
??? Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8
??? Canon EF 180mm Macro f/3.5L USM
??? Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/BjhtvKheuAw/0,2817,2414666,00.asp

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The five best moments of the 2013 Royal Rumble Match

All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. ? 2012 WWE, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This website is based in the United States. By submitting personal information to this website you consent to your information being maintained in the U.S., subject to applicable U.S. laws. U.S. law may be different than the law of your home country. WrestleMania XXIX (NY/NJ) logo TM & ? 2012 WWE. All Rights Reserved. The Empire State Building design is a registered trademark and used with permission by ESBC.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/2013/the-five-best-moments-of-the-2013-royal-rumble-match

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ShelterBox Expands Reach in Syrian Refugee Crisis, Response Teams En Route to Jordan

International disaster relief organization, ShelterBox, is en route to Jordan after the government released an urgent appeal for aid as an ?unprecedented? amount of Syrian refugees continue to enter the country.

Sarasota, FL (PRWEB) January 25, 2013

International disaster relief organization, ShelterBox, is en route to Jordan after the government released an urgent appeal for aid as an ?unprecedented? amount of Syrian refugees continue to enter the country.

ShelterBox responds following disasters such as earthquake, flood, tsunami, hurricane, cyclone or conflict by delivering boxes of aid. Each box contains a disaster relief tent, stove, water filtration system, blankets and other items necessary to help families live independently and with dignity in the months following disaster.

Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh released a statement Thursday, requesting international aid after 20,000 Syrians crossed into the country in a single week. Judeh described the influx as ?unprecedented, larger than any other time in the last two years.?

In response to the country?s appeal, members of the highly trained ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) are en route to Jordan to assess the need for emergency shelter and other aid.

Although ShelterBox had prepositioned its aid with the Jordanian Red Crescent in December 2012, the need for additional emergency shelter and supplies is imminent.

ShelterBox first responded to the Syrian refugee crisis in October 2012, by delivering 500 boxes of winterized aid to the Domiz refugee camp in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. By December 2012, ShelterBox aid was also distributed in Syria, to a total of 710 families living families living in the Al-Salameh camp near the Turkey border.

An additional SRT is currently in Lebanon, awaiting the arrival of ShelterBoxes and assessing the need for more, in response to the Lebanese government?s request for aid earlier this month.

ShelterBox is also responding to the typhoon in the Philippines, bushfires in Australia and flooding in Nigeria.

ABOUT SHELTERBOX USA

Since 2000, ShelterBox has provided shelter, warmth and dignity following more than 200 disasters in over 85 countries. ShelterBox instantly responds to earthquake, volcano, flood, hurricane, cyclone, tsunami or conflict by delivering boxes of aid. Each iconic green ShelterBox contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, stove, blankets and water filtration system, among other tools for survival. ShelterBox?s American affiliate, ShelterBox USA is headquartered in Sarasota, Florida. Individual tax-deductible donations to ShelterBox USA can be made at http://www.shelterboxusa.org, 941-907-6036 or via text message by sending SHELTER to 20222 for a one-time $10 donation.

Erin Holdgate
ShelterBox USA
(941) 907-6036 100
Email Information

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/shelterbox-expands-reach-syrian-refugee-crisis-response-teams-011645295.html

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Stephen King writes post-Newtown essay on guns

BANGOR, Maine (AP) ? Horror writer Stephen King is seeking to provoke a discussion on gun control and gun rights following the school shooting massacre in Newtown, Conn.

The Maine native is a gun owner. He calls for three "reasonable measures" to curb gun violence in an essay titled "Guns," released Friday as a Kindle single through Amazon.

King says he wants background checks on all gun sales and bans on high-capacity magazines and military-style weapons like the rifle used in the Newtown shooting, which killed 20 children and six school officials.

King describes a pattern of mass shootings in which anger and frustration give way to political rhetoric before discussions of gun control "disappear into the legislative swamp." He says on his website: "If this helps provoke constructive debate, I've done my job."

___

Online: http://www.stephenking.com/index.html

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-25-School%20Shooting-Stephen%20King/id-2e614ccd7ce24fbf8402f52e8506a1b0

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NTSB: 787 probe far from complete

13 hrs.

Andrea Shalal-Esa and Jim Wolf , Reuters

U.S. safety regulators are nowhere near finishing an investigation into a battery fire on the Boeing Co 787 Dreamliner, a top official said on Thursday, raising the prospect of a prolonged grounding for the plane.?

Deborah Hersman, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, made clear that investigators have found a series of "symptoms" in the battery damaged in a Jan. 7 fire in Boston, but not the underlying cause of the problem.?

"We are early in our investigation, we have a lot of activities to undertake," Hersman told a news conference.?

"This is an unprecedented event. We are very concerned. We do not expect to see fire events on board aircraft. This is a very serious air safety concern."?

She rebuffed multiple questions on how long the investigation would take, making clear it could be weeks or more. She also would not say when the 787 would fly again, which is in the hands of the Federal Aviation Administration.?

The Dreamliner?has been grounded worldwide since a plane by All Nippon Airways made an emergency landing in Japan on Jan. 16 after a battery incident, which Hersman said may or may not have been a fire.?

That emergency landing came after a fire occurred on a Japan Airlines Co Ltd 787 on the tarmac in Boston.?

Boeing said it welcomed Thursday's briefing on the 787 investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and said it continued to assist the NTSB and the other government agencies investigating two recent 787 incidents.

"The company has formed teams consisting of hundreds of engineering and technical experts who are working around the clock with the sole focus of resolving the issue and returning the 787 fleet to flight status," said Boeing spokesman John Dern.

"The safety of passengers and crew members who fly aboard Boeing airplanes is our highest priority," Dern said.

France's Thales, which makes the 787 battery system, declined to comment.?

The NTSB and its Japanese equivalent are working together on their probes, though Hersman again insisted the work was still in the early stages.?

"It is really very hard to tell at this point how long this investigation will take. We have all hands on deck," Hersman said. "We're working as hard as we can to identify what the failure mode is here and what corrective actions need to be taken."?

Series of delays
The 787 program was already years behind schedule before last week's grounding, which means Boeing cannot deliver newly manufactured planes to customers.?

That means customers like United Continental Holdings Inc.?may have to wait even longer for planes on order. The company's United Airlines already flies six Dreamliners.?

"History teaches us that all new aircraft types have issues and the 787 is no different," United Continental Chairman and Chief Executive Jeff Smisek said during the carrier's earnings conference call. "We continue to have confidence in the aircraft and in Boeing's ability to fix the issues, just as they have done on every other new aircraft model they've produced."?

Smisek said Thursday the carrier still expects to take delivery of two more 787s in the second half of the year.?

Boeing has already delivered 50 of the 787s. Around half have been in operation in Japan, but airlines in India, South America, Poland, Qatar and Ethiopia are also flying the planes, as is U.S. carrier United.?

The grounding of the Dreamliner, an advanced carbon-composite plane with a list price of $207 million, has already forced hundreds of flight cancellations worldwide.?

Competition from Airbus
The head of Boeing's European rival Airbus said it would study the 787 Dreamliner design review and make any changes to its future A350 jetliner that may be needed as a result of the U.S. findings.?

"We believe so far we have a robust design, however we will draw the lessons from the 787," Airbus Chief Executive Fabrice Bregier told Reuters Television at the World Economic Forum in Davos.?

"We will look at the recommendations and guidelines of the FAA and if by chance we need to change it we have plenty of time because this aircraft, the 350, will be delivered to our first customers not before the second half of 2014 ? so it is not a challenge and it is not a burden for us."?

Billed as Europe's response to the Dreamliner, the A350 is due to enter service next year using lithium-ion batteries but without the same reliance on electrical systems as the 787, something Airbus says will put less burden on the batteries.?

However, Airbus has so far declined to comment on how it would tackle a battery fire if one did break out on board.?

Additional reporting by Karen Jacobs in Atlanta, Tim Hepher in Paris and Axel Threlfall in Davos.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/ntsb-787-probe-far-complete-1C8104258

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Scientists discover how epigenetic information could be inherited: Mechanism of epigenetic reprogramming revealed

Jan. 24, 2013 ? New research reveals a potential way for how parents' experiences could be passed to their offspring's genes. The research was published January, 25 in the journal Science.

Epigenetics is a system that turns our genes on and off. The process works by chemical tags, known as epigenetic marks, attaching to DNA and telling a cell to either use or ignore a particular gene.

The most common epigenetic mark is a methyl group. When these groups fasten to DNA through a process called methylation they block the attachment of proteins which normally turn the genes on. As a result, the gene is turned off.

Scientists have witnessed epigenetic inheritance, the observation that offspring may inherit altered traits due to their parents' past experiences. For example, historical incidents of famine have resulted in health effects on the children and grandchildren of individuals who had restricted diets, possibly because of inheritance of altered epigenetic marks caused by a restricted diet.

However, it is thought that between each generation the epigenetic marks are erased in cells called primordial gene cells (PGC), the precursors to sperm and eggs. This 'reprogramming' allows all genes to be read afresh for each new person -- leaving scientists to question how epigenetic inheritance could occur.

The new Cambridge study initially discovered how the DNA methylation marks are erased in PGCs, a question that has been under intense investigation over the past 10 years. The methylation marks are converted to hydroxymethylation which is then progressively diluted out as the cells divide. This process turns out to be remarkably efficient and seems to reset the genes for each new generation. Understanding the mechanism of epigenetic resetting could be exploited to deal with adult diseases linked with an accumulation of aberrant epigenetic marks, such as cancers, or in 'rejuvenating' aged cells.

However, the researchers, who were funded by the Wellcome Trust, also found that some rare methylation can 'escape' the reprogramming process and can thus be passed on to offspring -- revealing how epigenetic inheritance could occur. This is important because aberrant methylation could accumulate at genes during a lifetime in response to environmental factors, such as chemical exposure or nutrition, and can cause abnormal use of genes, leading to disease. If these marks are then inherited by offspring, their genes could also be affected.

Dr Jamie Hackett from the University of Cambridge, who led the research, said: "Our research demonstrates how genes could retain some memory of their past experiences, revealing that one of the big barriers to the theory of epigenetic inheritance -- that epigenetic information is erased between generations -- should be reassessed."

"It seems that while the precursors to sperm and eggs are very effective in erasing most methylation marks, they are fallible and at a low frequency may allow some epigenetic information to be transmitted to subsequent generations. The inheritance of differential epigenetic information could potentially contribute to altered traits or disease susceptibility in offspring and future descendants."

"However, it is not yet clear what consequences, if any, epigenetic inheritance might have in humans. Further studies should give us a clearer understanding of the extent to which heritable traits can be derived from epigenetic inheritance, and not just from genes. That could have profound consequences for future generations."

Professor Azim Surani from the University of Cambridge, principal investigator of the research, said: "The new study has the potential to be exploited in two distinct ways. First, the work could provide information on how to erase aberrant epigenetic marks that may underlie some diseases in adults. Second, the study provides opportunities to address whether germ cells can acquire new epigenetic marks through environmental or dietary influences on parents that may evade erasure and be transmitted to subsequent generations, with potentially undesirable consequences."

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---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Cambridge, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. J. A. Hackett, R. Sengupta, J. J. Zylicz, K. Murakami, C. Lee, T. A. Down, M. A. Surani. Germline DNA Demethylation Dynamics and Imprint Erasure Through 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine. Science, 2012; DOI: 10.1126/science.1229277

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/genes/~3/6OaEQm9fXYc/130124150808.htm

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TRAVEL INSURANCE | Mexico & Central America Forum | Fodor's ...

Can anyone recommend a reliable travel insurance company?
We will be traveling to Belize and Guatemala for 2 weeks in Feb and March and have some concerns about trip interruptions (ill family members at home) and if something happened to one of us. All suggestions appreciated.

Thank you.

Source: http://www.fodors.com/community/mexico-central-america/travel-insurance-460648-2.cfm

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Wells Fargo Sued By German Agency For $160 Million In CDO Losses

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. was sued Wednesday by a German government agency that accused it of mismanaging a collateralized debt obligation, resulting in more than $160 million in losses.

Wells Fargo and Collineo Asset Management GMBH, a German financial services company, allowed investments of overly risky assets not permitted under the contracts governing House of Europe Funding I Ltd, a Cayman Islands CDO issuer, according to the lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court.

The German agency, Erste Abwicklungsanstalt, and the CDO itself both sued Wells as trustee and Collineo as asset manager for allowing the ineligible purchases.

House of Europe Funding I's investments in other CDOs far exceeded the limit of 15 percent of the portfolio, the lawsuit said.

Since April 2006, House of Europe Funding I purchased over $171 million of CDO securities in at least six separate transactions, all in breach of contract, according to the complaint.

Over 80 percent of the improper assets defaulted and are worth almost nothing, the complaint says.

Oscar Suris, a spokesman for Wells Fargo, declined to comment. A Collineo spokesperson could not immediately be reached after hours.

The case is House of Europe Funding I Ltd. v Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., U.S. District Court, Southern DIstrict of New York, 13-cv-519.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Editing by Richard Chang)

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/23/wells-fargo-sued-german-agency_n_2538209.html

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IRA Old Bailey bomber dies in Ireland

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Dolours Price, one of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombers convicted of the 1973 attack on London's Old Bailey and later a vocal critic of Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, died in her home in Dublin overnight, a family friend said on Thursday.

Price, along with her sister, served eight years of a life sentence for the car bombing outside the Old Bailey Central Criminal Court in London that wounded more than 200 people, part of an IRA campaign to try to force British forces from its province of Northern Ireland.

Price and her sister went on hunger strike in a British prison in a 200-day campaign to be moved to a jail in Northern Ireland. They were force fed and eventually repatriated to the province to serve their sentences.

The IRA disbanded after a 1998 peace deal that ended three decades of conflict between Catholic Irish nationalists seeking union with Ireland and Protestant loyalists determined to remain part of the United Kingdom. More than 3,000 people were killed.

In recent years, Price was caught up in a dispute over a confidential interview she gave to researchers from Boston College, one of dozens given by former fighters from the Northern Ireland conflict.

Interviewees were told their words, believed to give details of possible roles played by current political figures during the Northern Ireland conflict, including Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, would remain sealed until their deaths.

Her death clears one obstacle for the release of the material she gave to the archive to police in Northern Ireland.

However, U.S. authorities would not immediately comment and Boston College said it was inappropriate to speculate on how her death would affect proceedings.

The researchers - journalist Ed Moloney and historian and ex-IRA member Anthony McIntyre - insisted the interviews would not be immediately handed over to police, describing Price as a friend and a valued participant in their project.

"The interviews are the subject of a stay imposed by the Supreme Court of the United States and that stay remains in place until that court, the highest in the land, decides otherwise," the pair said in a statement.

"There are other subpoenas outstanding and as far as we are concerned the same issues affect them as they did Dolours Price's case and we look forward to continuing the fight with renewed vigour to stop the remaining Belfast Project interviews from being handed over."

NOTHING TO FEAR

Exactly what Price may have said about Adams for the archive is unclear.

Another IRA figure interviewed for the archives, Brendan Hughes, died in 2008, paving the way for Boston College researchers to publish a book in which Hughes connected Adams to the 1972 death of Jean McConville.

The widowed mother of 10 was killed by the IRA on suspicion of being an informer.

The book was published in 2010, and that year Price also tied Adams to McConville's death in a newspaper interview.

The Boston College researchers to date have declined to discuss what Price may have told them for the archive project, however.

Adams, a member of Ireland's parliament, told reporters on Thursday he has nothing to fear from the college's material and offered his sympathy on Price's death.

Irish police, not naming Price, said they were investigating the sudden death of a woman in her 60s in Dublin late on Wednesday evening. They said there was no initial indication of foul play.

Price had two children and was once married to Hollywood actor Stephen Rea.

(Reporting by Conor Humphries in Dublin and Ross Kerber in Boston)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ira-old-bailey-bomber-dies-ireland-211941987.html

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Russia shelves plan to shut child cancer clinic

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) ? A Kremlin plan to turn a St. Petersburg hospital that specializes in treating children with cancer into a medical center for Russia's top judges was shelved Wednesday, marking a rare occasion when the government appeared to bow to public pressure.

The intention to turn City Hospital No. 31 into a clinic that would exclusively serve judges and staff of the Supreme Court and other high courts when they are relocated to St. Petersburg from Moscow caused widespread public dismay.

More than 100,000 people signed a petition to President Vladimir Putin, a city native, urging him to scrap the plan. Among those who signed were prominent figures from the worlds of art and sciences, including physicist Zhores Alfyorov, a Nobel Prize winner who is a member of Russia's parliament.

On Wednesday, the St. Petersburg governor's office said the hospital would continue to serve patients and insisted there was no plan to change its location or profile. The Kremlin's property department also issued assurances that the hospital, located on prestigious Krestovsky Island, would not be used to serve judges of the top courts.

Even so, about 1,500 people took part in a planned evening protest, with some saying they did not trust officials not to go back on their word. Braving a bitter winter wind, they held up signs that said: "Children are more important than bureaucrats" and "You want to kill the hospital, but you will kill children instead."

"Even a one-day break in the work of the hospital is a potential murder," said protester Anna Ivanova, a 29-year-old pediatrician who trained with the hospital's doctors.

"I'm sure that it is only the fact that people have come out to defend the hospital that it might be saved," said Nadezhda Dankova, a 32-year-old pediatric nurse.

Yelena Grachyova, coordinator of a charity foundation that helps children and adults suffering from cancer, said the timing of the government's about-turn was clearly aimed at thwarting the protest rally, which organizers had hoped would attract thousands. Grachyova said there had been previous attempts to take over the hospital because of the prime real estate it occupies, and she called for legal guarantees protecting it and other hospitals and schools on city property.

Other unpopular projects in St. Petersburg also have been scuttled or changed in recent years in the face of public opposition. In 2010, Gazprom was forced to abandon plans to build a glass skyscraper in the city's historical center.

Putin, however, has generally ignored opposition demands and avoided giving any ground on controversial issues, apparently seeing it as a sign of weakness. His decision last month to sign a bill banning Americans from adopting Russian children came despite widespread public outrage.

Putin has not weighed in on the hospital controversy.

In Soviet times, Hospital No. 31 provided medical treatment for privileged Soviet bureaucrats. Similar specialized clinics for the Communist Party elite existed elsewhere as well.

During the democratic reforms of the 1980s, the hospital was handed over to the city, with preference to be given to World War II veterans. The children's oncology clinic also was established.

"Twenty years ago it seemed obvious that the privileged St. Petersburg residents were precisely children and elderly people. We hope this is not in doubt now," the petition to Putin says.

Moscow has numerous hospitals that serve the presidential administration or a certain government ministry, a tradition carried down from Soviet times. Today, however, the medical services also are available to other residents on a paid basis.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-shelves-plan-shut-child-cancer-clinic-181652502.html

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House passes 'No Budget No Pay' bill

WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives voted today to approve a three-month extension of the debt limit in a bill that concurrently pressures lawmakers to adopt a budget or have their pay withheld.

The vote passed by a count of 285-144. Thirty-three Republicans opposed the measure, while 86 Democrats voted to approve it, sending the legislation to the Senate where it is also expected to pass, according to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

"I'm pleased that Speaker Boehner's House colleagues have decided to change course and pass a bill that defuses yet another fight over the debt ceiling," Reid, D-Nev., said. "In substance, it's a clean debt limit increase."

The bill, known as the No Budget No Pay Act of 2013, directs both chambers of Congress to adopt a budget resolution for fiscal year 2014 by April 15, 2013. If either body fails to pass a budget, members of that body would have their paychecks put into an escrow account starting on April 16 until that body adopts a budget. Any pay that is withheld would eventually be released at the end of the current Congress even if a budget doesn't ever pass.

Democrats also pledged today to pass a budget in the Senate this year. The Senate has not passed a budget resolution since April 29, 2009.

"This bill simply says 'Congress, do your job.' When I grew up in Wisconsin, if you had a job and you did the work, then you got paid. If you didn't do the work, you didn't get paid. It's that simple," Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said during debate on the bill leading into the vote. "We have a law. It's called the Budget Act. It requires that Congress passes a budget by April 15. All we're saying is, 'Congress, follow the law. Do your work. Budget.'

The measure also temporarily suspends the statutory debt limit through May 18, granting the Treasury Department the additional borrowing authority to meet obligations that require payment over the next three months. Without congressional action, the Treasury Department has warned that its borrowing authority would run out by mid-February.

"There should be no long-term increase in the debt limit until there's a long-term plan to deal with the fiscal crisis that faces our country," Boehner, R-Ohio, said during a floor speech prior to the vote. "Every hardworking taxpayer in America knows that they have to do a budget. Every hardworking taxpayer understands that you can't continue to spend money that you don't have."

House Democrats generally opposed the bill, calling it a "political gimmick" for "prolonging economic uncertainty."

"If it's a good idea to maintain the obligations of the U.S. government between now and May 19, it sure is a good idea to make sure that we meet the obligations of the United States Government beyond that," Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the top Democrat on the Budget committee, said during debate. "This is a political effort simply to increase their negotiating strategy - leveraged three months from now - at the expense of jobs and the economy and the American people."

In recent years conservatives have opposed any increase to the debt limit without corresponding spending cuts, but Republicans hope to gain leverage with a three-month increase by syncing up the next slate of major fiscal deadlines facing Congress to provide lawmakers with more time to work out a so-called 'Big Deal' on deficit reduction.

"The reason for this extension is so that we can have the debate that we need to have," Ryan said. "It's been a one-sided debate. The House of Representatives has passed budgets. The other body, the Senate, hasn't passed a budget for almost four years. We owe our constituents more than that. We owe them solutions and when both parties put their solutions on the table, than we can have a good, clear debate about how to solve the problem."

"The problem is not going away no matter how much we can wish it away," Ryan, the former Republican vice presidential nominee, added. "This isn't a Republican or a Democratic thing. This is a math thing, and the math is vicious, and it's hurting our country, and it's hurting the next generation, and it's hurting our economy."

Casting the House vote as a victory since it abandoned prior demands for spending cuts in exchange for an increase, Reid said that the Senate will move quickly to pass the bill and send it to the president, perhaps as early as this week.

"This proposal gives us something we can work with here in the Senate," Reid, D-Nev., touted at a Capitol news conference today. "In the short term?it removes the threat of default. For the long term it sets a helpful precedent that's going to make raising the debt ceiling easier from now on."

Reid also called the "no budget, no pay" provision a gimmick to lure in the House's most conservative members who may not have gone with the plan otherwise.

"I understand and we all understand the tea party plays a big part in what goes in the House, and they need a gimmick or two to get things done over there, but to spare the middle class another knock-down, drag-out fight, we're going to proceed to work on this legislation and get it out of there as quickly as we can," he said.

This morning Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., announced that the Senate will return to regular order and move a budget resolution through the Budget committee and to the Senate floor, a move celebrated by Republicans as marking the first time the Senate will adopt a budget in nearly four years.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/house-passes-no-budget-no-pay-191301982--abc-news-politics.html

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